Another Year Has Gone By
by itslikenature
Summary: Bella reflects on her life with Jake and the decisions she made that made her life whole. A holiday oneshot.


I just wrote this for the weekly music challenge at an LJ community I write in and wanted to share it with everyone here too. It's just a one shot and the song that inspired it can be heard here: hxxp (dot) azlyrics (dot) com/lyrics/celinedion/anotheryearhasgoneby (dot) html **(change the 'xx' to 'tt' and take out the words (dot) and replace them with a period),** once you've got the lyrics on screen, push the red/orange play button to be redirected to jengo to hear the song. This song, to me, is the perfect Jake and Bella Christmas song. I hope you enjoy it. Happy Holidays!!

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Another Year Has Gone By

(And I Still Walk By Your Side)

It was a cold, snowy day but the warmth inside our little home was enough to thaw even the coldest of days. I had just opened the box of Christmas ornaments, and as I began to unwrap each one, that had been carefully wrapped and put away last year, and the year before that, I smiled.

As I pulled out one of my favorite ornaments, a small colorful, molded plastic one of a fireplace with little stockings hung over the mantel, I thought to myself, so many 25th's of December and just as many 4th of July's, have passed and it warmed me inside and out.

"Hey, Bells. I found the tinsel. It was in the attic behind some other boxes. Let me put it on, then we can start putting on the decorations," Jake said, as he stepped over a few boxes in the living room floor to reach the tree I was kneeling beside.

"Okay," I said, placing the ornament gently back in the tissue paper from which it had come.

I got up and opened the box Jake had brought down from the attic and pulled out the shiny gold tinsel with flecks of artificial snow on it. As I ran my fingers over the cool smooth fringes, I smiled again and Jake noticed this time.

"What are you thinking about, honey?" he asked, taking the tinsel from my hands.

"That we're still holding it together and at the end of each day it only comes down to you and me," I said, looking up into the eyes of the man I had chosen to spend the rest of my life with.

"I love you, Bells," he said, placing the softest kiss upon my lips.

"Can you still remember the things you said, right from the start? I do. I'll never forget the exact words you said to me that night, the night I came to tell you goodbye. You said, 'Bella, your heart was never meant to stop beating, not now, not until you've grown old and lived a life full of sunny days, of sleeping in the arms of the one you love, of waking up in the mornings and knowing you've lived life to the fullest. This could be special for us, Bella. I can be everything you've ever wanted, if you'll just give me a chance.' I've kept those words deep in my heart all these years and I'm so glad I gave you a chance. I wouldn't change a thing, you know."

"And I was right. Another year has gone by and I'm still the one by your side. I had every intention of growing old with you Bells and here we are."

"I know and I'm so glad. After all that has gone by and all that has happened in our life you were right and no one is saying goodbye," I said looking into his eyes, feeling his love wrap around me.

He kissed me again then took the tinsel and began wrapping it around the tree. I always loved watching him at Christmas time and for me, he was the reason for the season. His eyes would always light up just like a little boy when we started to decorate. This was his favorite time of year. He stretched up and started draping the tinsel on the branches of the tree and as he got to the lower branches, he handed the bundle to me and I would meet him on the other side of the tree.

As I watched him and listened to the song he hummed as he worked, a labor of love and contentment, I thought of all my blessings over the years. It's true that I had never been much for occasions, but he never let a birthday go by without announcing how much he loved me, but the truth was always there, right there in his eyes.

The way he looked at me every day, made me realize that I had not only gotten the sunny days but that I had gotten a life full of happiness and days filled with love and the little things that memories were made from.

I was looking at him lost in thought, when his gaze met mine, "you know you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen and when you look at me like that your eyes sparkle," he said softly, as he came over to wrap his arms around me.

"That's because you put the life in me, Jacob Black. You complete me and make me whole. That's why we still hold hands when we walk and act like we've only just met," I said quietly, kissing his cheeks, and eyes, and nose, before finding my way to his lips.

He pulled away and whispered, "I guess that's how true lovers can get," and smiled his smile down at me and made my heart skip a beat with the smile that can brighten the darkest day and right all the wrongs in my world.

"I guess so, and I'm thankful that I listened to you and finally heard my heart speak to me all those years ago."

We were lost in our moment of recalling the past, when we heard the soft cry coming from the room down the hall. We both smiled at each other and walked toward the room, hand-in-hand until we reached the door. There lying in the white wooden crib, was our Christmas present to each other this year.

"She's so beautiful, just like her mother," Jake said, crossing the room, lowering the side of the crib, and picking up his baby girl.

"But she has your eyes, and your smile, and your big heart, so she is the best of both of us," I said, walking over to them and wrapping my arms around them both as I whispered, "Merry Christmas, baby."


End file.
